Gone But Not Forgotten
by kage1586
Summary: Sakura's cousin comes to the Leaf Village, thing is: she's got a past there that the young kids don't know of. But Oh-does Kakashi, Gai and Iruka know it as well as all of the other villagers! What happens when she turns the village upside down?
1. Prologue

I do not own Naruto, I do own this fic…

Gone But Not Forgotten

Prologue

She stepped into the boundaries of the Leaf Village for the first time in almost a decade. Her heart pounding louder than the wind around her. She almost turned around to leave when she saw a pair of familiar green eyes twinkling at a distance.

"Welcome home, Yume." Sakura smiled and walked up to the girl. Yume bowed slightly in acknowledgement and looked back at Sakura's face. "You don't need to be formal, we are cousins after all!" she beamed and took Yume's bag from her hand. "I'll lead you to my house, come on."

Yume, a little taller than Sakura, by maybe a few inches, tried to step and couldn't. "I don't know Sakura, I don't feel like I should be here."

"Of course you should!" Sakura turned back to her cousin, "You wrote a letter you would be back in town today, you should keep your word." Sakura paused and laughed some, "I sound like Naruto!"

Yume's eyes shot up, "Naruto? Uzamaki?"

"Yea, do you remember him?"

"Everyone knows that boy." Yume looked away, "That poor kid."

Sakura shrugged, "Naruto is a ninja now, we were on the same squad with Kakashi sensei, do you remember him too?"

Yume's heart clenched at the name. "I do."

Sakura beamed, "See? Everyone will treat you right!" Sakura started to walk.

Yume wasn't so sure. Following Sakura with her other baggage, she wondered if she made the right decision. Nothing had changed, she was always questioning the actions she took. What would she do if she was not accepted? Again.

--

Sakura led Yume to the village and a few people looked at her strangely, in recognition. Out of the corner of her eye, Yume caught people gossiping as they passed. She cringed at what they could be speaking of.

How she left?

Why she left?

Why did she come back?

Was she not welcome by her home?

Again.

Sakura opened her door and Yume was engulfed by Sakura's parent's hugs. Yume dropped her items and patted their backs. "It is good to see you as well guys." she smiled weakly.

"Come, Yume, it is time you unpacked your items. We have a room set up for you." Sakura's father said.

Yume dropped her things in the guest room and looked out the window as she was left alone. Nothing had changed.

She bowed her head in defeat. This was a bad decision. Again!

--

Sakura knocked on the door and Yume opened it slowly, peering out. "Hey, want to go meet up with some of my friends? You must be dying to get out and explore the village again!"

Yume shook her head. "I don't feel up to this Sakura. I don't think I should have come back…"

"Come on!" Sakura grabbed Yume by the arm and led her out of the room again. Outside of the house, Sakura looked up at Yume as she let go of her arm. "What is wrong?"

Yume frowned, "I just don't know if I can make it up to the village after the way I left. To my friends. To my family." she looked solemnly at Sakura.

Sakura shook her head, "You don't have to. The village is a family, Yume, or have you forgotten?"

Yume shook her head and sighed, "You can't forget something that never was."

Eventually Sakura led her cousin to the training area outside of the Hokage's temple. Tsunade was still bickering about gambling and booze. Big surprise to Sakura.

"Sakura? Who is that?"

"The newest Hokage…oh! You didn't know!" Sakura gasped, "I shall take you there immediately!" she grabbed Yume's hand and ran.

"Take me where, Sakura?" Yume asked as they entered the cemetery and Sakura led her to the former Hokage's burial site.

Yume recognized the name. Tears filled her eyes as she fell to her knees. She bowed her head to hide the tears that had slid. "I…didn't know. I'm so sorry I wasn't here…" she sniffed a bit.

A shuffling in the grass caught Sakura's attention as well as Yume's. They both looked up. Sakura beamed, Yume shrunk away. "Kakashi sensei!" Sakura ran up and smiled, "My cousin, Yume, has come back. She says she remembers you! Do you remember her?"

Kakashi's eye held Yume's eyes in a trance. He cut her the coldest glare if there ever was one. Sakura backed up a bit and looked at Yume and then back to her sensei. "What's wrong?"

Kakashi turned away from Yume, "I do not remember her." he walked away from the cousins in pure hatred.

Sakura gasped as she looked at Yume turn her face away in pain. She walked up to Yume and knelt down beside her, "Why did he look at you like that? Surely he must remember you if he did not introduce himself or--"

"Enough Sakura." Yume said sharply and stood up. "I wish to see Gai or Iruka. I must speak with them."

Sakura stood up and looked in Kakashi's direction and then back to Yume, "Alright, will you at least tell me one thing?"

Yume looked at Sakura as they walked, "What is it?" her tone softening.

Sakura led her past Kakashi, knowing Yume did not know he stepped to the side. "Do you trust Kakashi sensei?"

Yume didn't hesitate, "With my life."

As they exited the cemetery, Kakashi stepped into the open and watched them walk away. "As I do you." he muttered with regret and walked to the Hokage's grave and knelt down, "She is back. You knew that though, didn't you?" he bowed his head in defeat, "Why?"

--

Gai dodged Yume's punch. "You lied to me!" she yelled.

Iruka blanched, "About what?"

Yume pointed to Gai who was hiding behind Iruka, "He told me I would be welcomed back without question! I came back because I thought this was true!" her eyes did not hide her pain.

Iruka put his hands up in defense, "Yume, you have not given the village a chance…"

Naruto walked in and stood by Sakura, "Hey, who's that?"

"My cousin, Yume." Sakura sighed. "She's a little ticked at Gai…and Kakashi…and maybe Iruka too."

Yume marched over to the two ninjas and glared into Iruka's eyes, "I have no family with this village. The only family I have now is Sakura and her parents! Don't you remember what happened to mine?" her voice began to crack.

Iruka sighed and put his hands down in defeat, "I do remember but I do not have family here anymore either. Remember?"

"But yours was not killed by that demon!"

Iruka shook his head, "No" he pointed to Naruto, "but they were killed by what he contains. But he is like a son to me now. We must learn to forgive what we can't control, Yume."

Yume looked at the boy with Sakura and gasped, "Is that Naruto Uzamaki?"

"It is."

Yume stepped back from Naruto with judging eyes.

Naruto didn't like that too much. "Listen lady, I don't know what you're yelling about but stop looking at me like I'm some abomination to you!"

Yume glared, "You are to the village and so to me."

Sakura spoke up for Naruto then, "But you said that you have no family in this village." she said shortly, turned and left.

Yume felt that pang in her chest again. "Iruka…"

Yume looked at him pleadingly, "What is it Yume?"

Naruto scoffed, "Ate something bad this morning?"

Iruka glared, "Not now Naruto!" he turned back to Yume and caught her as she fell to her knees. "Yume?"

Gai knelt beside them, "What is wrong Yume?"

"You must…don't let it…" Yume had tears coming down her cheeks, "It's such a disgrace!" she cried out.

"What is?" Iruka asked, concerned for his former comrade.

Gai gasped and pulled at her shirt a little, revealing Orochimaru's mark. "Iruka!"

Iruka paled.

"Please, make the pain stop…" she pleaded with them.

Iruka and Gai didn't know what to do. They looked to Tsunade who had just walked in, stomped up and punched Yume so hard, she was knocked out cold.

"The pain stopped." Naruto muttered indifferently.

Tsunade glared at the blond boy. She looked at the other ninja, "Take her to Kakashi."

"WHAT?!" Gai blanched, "Are you crazy?! He hates her!"

"He does not!" Tsunade growled, "You will take her to Kakashi because he's the only one in this village besides me who can beat her ass down if she gets bitchy again!"

Iruka and Gai exchanged glances, "Well she is right…" Iruka said quietly.

"Of course I am." Tsunade muttered, walking towards Naruto. "And you, don't you have a little pink haired flit to go humor."

Naruto was confused, "Huh? Flit? What's that?"

"Go look for Sakura." Tsunade ground out.

"Ok, ok!" Naruto threw up his hands, "But she'd be happier with Sasuke checking up on her."

"GO!" Tsunade ordered.

When Naruto left, Tsunade rolled her eyes, "Why am I the only one in this village who seems to know how to handle these kinds of situations?" she glared at Iruka and Gai.

"Ok! We're going!" Gai piped up and picked Yume's limp body up, following Iruka out of the recreational building.

--

Iruka knocked on Kakashi's door. Gai left Yume at the front step and they both ran like hell because they knew Kakashi would shut the door if they were still there. They were not going to be stuck with HER! Miss PMS without the PMS!

Kakashi opened his door and peered around. He shook his head and was about to close the door when he heard a slight muffled noise. He looked down and froze. His eye widened, "Yume…" he barely made the whisper out before he picked her up and looked around, hoping to see who left her there. He walked into his home and closed the door, laying her down on his bed.

She had quite a shiner on her brow and he wondered what she had gotten into this time. He went to the bathroom and came back with a water-filled-bowl and cloth. Soaking the cloth in the water, he looked at her unconscious state. She hadn't changed a bit.

Wringing the cloth and then placing it on her brow to help the swelling, he shook his head. _Why have you come back Yume? Why did you abandon us? Where have you been? _Questions were soaring through his mind as her eyes started to flutter open.

Oh boy, here it comes. She's going to kill him for touching her. Or attempt to. Again. The last time he had seen her…

Flashback--

"Yume!" Kakashi ran up to her and pulled her into his arms, a twinkling in his eyes. "Where have you been?"

"Let me go Kakashi…" she whispered. "I don't…deserve your love."

Kakashi was taken aback, "But Yume…what are you talking about?"

Yume pushed him away, "Let me go!" she screamed and ran off, leaving him with so many unanswered questions.

Flashback end--

Instead, Yume looked at him, a hazed look in her eyes as she gave a quaint smile. Her smile, he knew was intended to hide her shame. It didn't. but he didn't know what was plaguing her…for what she did to him maybe?

She had been his "one." She was the one he had thought to live his life with. Have a family, grow old with…He had even bought her a band to seal it…he was to give it to her that day when she ran from him. He was left with a band, no finger to rest it on, and bewilderment beyond belief.

She was falling into unconsciousness again, he could see it. "Yume…?" he said gently as to not ache her head anymore.

She closed her eyes, "I'm sorry…" she mumbled as she fell limp again.

Sorry? For what? For what she did? Well damn right she should be sorry! They always communicated! The four of them were comrades till the end! Gai, Iruka, Kakashi and Yume, she was just one of the guys. As much as Kakashi and Gai bickered, she was the glue that held them tight. When she left…

When she left…

She left them all.

But it hurt him to no ends.

It killed what he held deep inside of him.

The death of his comrades wasn't enough to make him reclusive.

The death of her love was.

Why did she come back?

Why did she leave?

Why?

Kakashi could not even begin to imagine what she was thinking that day. But apparently Gai and Iruka were not as ruffled by it. They told Kakashi that she didn't mean to do it, they all knew Yume too well. She'd be back. They never told him it would be near a decade.

He was a foolish kid. A ninja yes. A moron yes. A fool, most definitely.

But he…

He still loved her.

He stood up and walked to a dresser, opening the drawer to reveal a small box. He swallowed hard and picked it up. Opening it revealed a golden band with three diamonds. One was of good side, a crescent moon of shape. The two were on the sides of the band, shaped as stars.

He knew her name meant "Dream." He dreamed of her in every dream he could remember. He dreamt that she'd come back. That this wouldn't happen again. He dreamed his dream would come true.

Kakashi bowed his head as he closed the box and placed it back in the drawer. It was in the past. He hated her now. She left him…and yet, as he looked back at the woman on his bed, she looked so right there.

He looked out of the window, dusk giving way to the night, and thought of what he was to do now. She left and came back. He wanted her back, but he didn't want her back.

This dream had to end.

He would be her worst nightmare.

After her concussion.

--

Reviews please

kage1586


	2. Hate That I Love You

I don't own Naruto. I do own this fic…I did get the chap name from Rihanna's song "Hate that I love You"…it's one of the very, VERY few songs I like from her.

Gone But Not Forgotten

Chapter 1

I Hate That I Love You

Yume awoke with a start. What a strange dream. Kakashi had been in it and he was taking care of her. He wouldn't do that! Why, she wasn't even near him! She looked around. "Oh dear." she felt sick to her stomach.

She knew where she was. She didn't know Kakashi's home's layout but she did know one thing. This place had his smell all over it! She wanted to cry and scream at the same time. She got out of the bed and looked down. She was in a shirt ten sizes too big for her frame. She raised it to her nose and took in a deep breath. It smelt like him too.

She had to still be in her dream. She bit her lip in this dream and got an idea. She would wake herself up! She stretched her arms over her head and rolled her shoulders afterwards. She got into a running stance and ran full speed ahead towards Kakashi's bedroom wall.

Right before she hit it, an arm swung around her waist with such grace that Yume knew then she wasn't dreaming. What Kakashi would have done in her dream was much farther from him setting her right on her feet and glaring at her. _I'm in for it now. How am I going to explain this? Oh, gee Kakashi, I thought I'd redecorate your room? How about a nice hole in your wall?_

For some reason, she knew that wouldn't work.

"I'm not even going to ask." Kakashi sighed and turned to leave the room.

"Wait!" she almost shouted and then regained composure as he turned to look at her. "Why…why am I here?"

Kakashi shrugged, "You tell me. I opened my door and there you were, unconscious. So really, I should be asking you why you came here and what happened in the first place…"

Then it came back to her. She looked down in shame. "I don't know how I got to your house, Kakashi. I remember being with Iruka and Gai and then…" her head shot up and her sky blue eyes almost turned red. "I'll kill them!" she tried to brush past Kakashi to have him still her again.

"You might want to change first." he said in almost a whisper.

She blushed as she felt his palm against her stomach as he had stopped her. "I, well yes, but you have confiscated my clothes…" she turned at him and glared, her flushed face giving too much away of what she felt.

Kakashi knew what she felt. The heat in the area that their physical contact had touched. He quickly retracted his hand as if he were truly burnt by her body. He looked away and cleared his throat, "They are folded on the chair in the living room. You had dirt stains on your clothes."

Yume tilted her head up a bit to see his face, or half of it, as best as she could. "Why do you wear that mask, Kakashi?" she asked before she could stop herself.

Kakashi looked back down at her, "I have no use for anyone seeing my face."

"Yes but, you weren't always like that."

Kakashi stepped back, "Things are better left unsaid and unheard." he walked into the living room and came back with her clothing. Handing it to her, "I will escort you to Iruka and Gai but only because I don't feel like having you dropped at my house again, especially without my knowledge."

Yume's heart dropped into her stomach. He truly hated her.

She changed her clothes in the bathroom and walked out to meet him in his room. He stood up, "I need to use the restroom. I will be a minute." he said in a tone that sounded like "if you try anything, I'll find you."

She contemplated waiting for him for about a second and in an instant, she was out the door. She felt no need to stay in the presence of someone who hated her. Not when she had loved him.

--Flashback--

Yume walked down the path by the river and heard laughter. She looked through the trees and saw Kakashi and Gai practicing their ninja arts as Iruka kept count of who succeeded in besting the other the most.

Kakashi had pinned Gai for the zillionth time that day and Gai said he needed a drink and sat down beside Iruka and helped himself to his water.

"Well, seems Kakashi has bested you again Gai!" Iruka teased as Gai glared at him.

"Yea, well he'll get his, you watch."

Kakashi crossed his arms and looked at his two comrades, "Whenever you're ready Gai." he jested.

Yume entered from the side and put her hands on her hips, "Let Gai rest, I'll take you on."

Iruka and Gai exchanged glances and snickered, "Aw Dreams, you don't want to do that. He'll mess your hair up!" Gai laughed. They still didn't take her seriously enough to be a great shinobi.

Yume walked up and grabbed the water bottle from Gai's hand and threw it into the forest, "Fetch boy." she muttered and walked up, sizing Kakashi up who tried to hide his "yea right" smile.

Iruka shrugged, "Just be easy on her, Kakashi." he snickered.

Kakashi shrugged, "I don't normally fight girls but--" Yume launched at Kakashi full speed. He barely had enough time to dodge her kicks and punches.

He grabbed her hands finally and swung her around to stop her legs from reaching him. "Play nice now Nightmare, you'll have to do better than that to beat me."

Yume's eyes turned from sky blue to the dark hue of midnight blue. "Nightmare you say? I'll show you a nightmare." An aura came from her body almost in a heartbeat ripple as if she had used the Byakugan but did not have that possibility.

Kakashi tried to read her attack but he couldn't. Was she born with this ability? He could not copy it or could he? He felt that her attack was not hereditary and tried to mirror himself into her state. He couldn't grasp her ability.

Yume's black hair had come lose from her bun as the chakra swirled around them.

Iruka and Gai's jaws dropped. "What is that?" Gai asked.

"Don't ask me!" Iruka said as he went behind a tree, just in case!

Yume's eyes swirled with sky blue hues in their dark depths as she read Kakashi's eye. She could not read the sharing an but she didn't have to. Her jitsu could read the iris of any eye to see the fears, the hopes, anything that had once flashed in front of her opponent.

Then suddenly, she stopped. The aura stopped. Her eyes returned to normal as she gazed at Kakashi in utter shock. What she had seen made her stop. "Kakashi…"

He knew what she saw and flung her into a tree with pain and anger showering from his body. He stepped close to her and she was laying on the ground, cringing as she heard the tree fall behind her. She looked up at him as he began to speak, "You don't know what you've seen. You shouldn't pry into someone's mind like that." he went to grab her arm as she pushed herself up enough to trip him.

She jumped over him and held a kunai to his throat. He didn't stop looking at her with hate. She pulled back and pocketed her kunai and turned away, "I know I do not want to know what I know now." she looked at Iruka, "Kakashi won."

"But you clearly had him pinned--" Gai began.

Yume cast the coldest glare to Gai. "I said he won. Sorry for the intrusion." she bowed towards Kakashi, who knew she meant more than just intruding on the practice.

Iruka walked over to Kakashi, "What got into her?"

"She knows all about me." Kakashi turned away.

"Everything?" Gai asked, walking up.

"Every moment from the time my father committed suicide to the time Obito gave me the Sharingan to now. She saw it all."

"How?" the other two asked in unison.

"She saw it with her eyes." Kakashi said almost sarcastically and stormed away in Yume's direction.

When he reached her, he jumped into the trees and landed in front of her. She obviously knew he was there for she easily side stepped around him, "Kakashi, don't ask me."

Kakashi grabbed her by the arm and turned her around to face him. "Don't ask you what?"

"How I can do this and shield it. I don't know." Yume looked up at him, almost scared. Yet he didn't know why she'd be scared. Was it of him? Or of her power…?

"Where did you learn it?"

Yume laughed a bit, "In my dreams."

And he knew she was serious. He smiled then at her. And thus, their friendship began to blossom.

--flashback end--

Yume paused midstep to see Sakura on the bench a few blocks from her house. "Sakura?"

Sakura looked up and turned away, "What?"

Yume walked up and sighed, "I'm sorry for what I said. I know you were hurt and I didn't mean to say it like that. It seems nobody accepts me but you, your parents, Iruka and Gai." she walked a little closer, "May I sit?"

Sakura shrugged, "It's a public bench."

Yume then decided not to sit. She had an idea, "Sakura? Will you look at something?"

Sakura hesitantly looked to Yume as Yume pulled out a small satchel. She held it to Sakura and smiled, "It's what got me through everything. Knowing, remembering…"

Sakura unwrapped the satchel and pulled out the small prints of pictures. There were only a few but Sakura knew Yume must have taken wonderful care of them if they were still on her now.

There was one with Sakura when they were smaller. Yume must have been around fifteen and Sakura about five. Yume had hugged Sakura from the back and they had smiles the size of the entire leaf village.

Then as Sakura went through them, Yume looked around, worried Kakashi would make an appearance. She didn't want him to know…

Sakura gasped, "You and Kakashi?"

Yume quickly looked at Sakura and hoped she'd be a little quieter. "Yes, we were quite the item back then."

Sakura looked back at the picture as Kakashi had Yume in a dip like stance that you'd see in ballroom dancing. Yume's eyes were so full of laughter and hope, love and affection. Sakura couldn't understand what had happened. "So…" she said as she wrapped the pictures back, "Why are you two on the outs now?"

Yume frowned, taking the satchel back and gained all the courage she had, "It's really my fault. I left him when I left the village. I couldn't bear to tell him why."

Sakura looked at Yume a bit confused. Yume felt tears welling up as she knew she had to come out and tell Sakura. Yume lowered her kimono off her shoulder for a moment to reveal the back of her shoulder. Sakura gasped and stood up quickly, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"What could you have done, Sakura?" Yume asked, as sweet as she could have made it, "You know nobody has killed him or I wouldn't bear this mark anymore."

"Have you told Kakashi yet?"

"No."

Sakura nodded, "Well your secret is safe with me." she looked past Yume as Yume pulled her kimono back up. "Or not…"

Yume was a little befuddled by the last words till she met Sakura's line of sight. She was startled so much that she almost knocked Sakura down while she tried to straighten her kimono again.

Kakashi stormed up and grabbed Yume's hand as he pulled at her kimono to view the mark again, "Stop it Kakashi!" Yume squealed as she finally broke free of his grasp.

Kakashi began to march towards her as Sakura ran in between the two, "Kakashi sensei, look, maybe this isn't the time to do this? I mean, what would people think?"

Yume was grateful that Sakura was trying to persuade him to drop the conversation. For now.

Kakashi looked down at Sakura who had grown into a young lady and stepped beside her, "Sakura, I'm not going to make a scene like Naruto would but I will have an answer."

Yume stepped back more as he approached her. He hated that he scared her. He could only imagine what his eye must look like. Cold as ice? Hot as fire? He knew one way to make it neutral again.

He was a breath away from Yume as he gazed down at her, questioning what she would say. What she would do.

"Yume?" he said slowly, trying to harness his anger.

"I didn't want to tell you Kakashi. I didn't know if you'd do anything foolish." she quickly said as he closed his eye.

"Yume?"

"Please Kakashi, don't talk to me like this in front of Sakura. She doesn't need to be in this situation. She doesn't need to know what I've hidden anymore. She shouldn't have to worry."

"Yume." Kakashi said sternly and opened his eye to stare at her with a look he hadn't used in years. She saw his love again. She was floored by the fact.

"Do you love me?" he hated to ask it but moreso he hated the answer that came from her.

She turned away and stepped aside, leaving him an open ended question. She neared Sakura and took her cousin by the shoulder as they began to walk.

"Kakashi?" Yume questioned and he turned back around, agony rising in his eye. "I hate the fact that I do."

The two women left as Kakashi felt his heart breaking. Again.

He felt his brain leaking down his skull from the pain and frustration. Again.

He was falling apart without her. Again.

--

Reviews please

kage1586


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